Video: Officers rescue dog trapped under vehicle in middle of highway

A deputy and an off-duty CHP officer rescued a dog after the canine jumped over the center divider and ran across the highway

By Cathy Locke
The Sacramento Bee

PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — A Placer County sheriff’s deputy and an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer were credited with saving the life of a dog that was struck by a car and pinned beneath the vehicle on Interstate 80 near Penryn.

The incident occurred at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday as Deputy Stan Semenuk, a sheriff’s K-9 handler, was driving on westbound I-80, east of Penryn and saw a bloodhound run across the eastbound lanes of traffic, according to Sheriff’s Office Facebook post. The dog jumped over the center divider and ran across the westbound lanes, prompting vehicles to screech to a halt as drivers tried to avoid hitting the dog.

Semenuk pulled over and began to slow down traffic while trying to coax the dog to come to him.

Semenuk, in a Sheriff’s Office video account of the incident, said the dog seemed frightened and confused. The bloodhound ran back into the westbound lanes where it was hit by a car. The dog was pinned beneath the vehicle with a paw under the rear tire.

Warning: Video content may be disturbing to some viewers; however, it is not graphic or bloody and there’s a happy ending! A Placer County Sheriff’s deputy and an off-duty CHP officer helped save a dog in a harrowing freeway rescue Wednesday morning. At 8:15, the sheriff’s K-9 handler, Deputy Semenuk, was driving on westbound Highway 80, east of Penryn, when he saw a bloodhound run across the eastbound lanes of traffic, jump over the center divider, and continue to run across westbound lanes of traffic. Commuter traffic came to a screeching halt as motorists tried to avoid hitting the scared dog. Semenuk immediately pulled over and began to slow down traffic while attempting to call the young bloodhound over to him. The dog seemed scared and confused and ran back into the westbound lanes, where unfortunately it was hit by a passing car. It was pinned underneath the car, its paw under the rear tire. Thinking quickly, the two decided to lift the car off the dog using a floor jack from the CHP officer’s truck. Semenuk repositioned his patrol car for safety reasons, then calmed the distressed dog and continued to lift the car. Using his leash to create a makeshift collar, Semenuk was able to remove the dog from underneath the tire. He kept the young bloodhound calm and comfortable on the side of the freeway until Placer County Animal Services transported him to Loomis Basin Veterinarian Clinic for emergency medical treatment. The dog’s owner showed up as the dog was being loaded into the truck. We are happy to report that the veterinary clinic said Ruger was in stable condition as of Wednesday night, and is expected to fully recover. He has no broken bones, just lacerations and road rash.

Another motorist, who told Semenuk he was an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer, stopped to help. Semenuk used his patrol car to block traffic and the two men used a floor jack from the CHP officer’s truck to lift the car and free the dog.

Semenuk used a leash to create a makeshift collar and was able to remove the dog from under the tire.

He carried bloodhound to the side of the freeway, where he kept it calm until Placer County Animal Services personnel arrived and transported the dog to Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic for emergency medical treatment.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Dena Erwin said the dog’s owner arrived at the scene as the dog, named Ruger, was being loaded to the Animal Services truck. Erwin said Ruger suffered only cuts and road rash, and was released to his owner Thursday afternoon. It was not clear how the dog ended up on the freeway, she said.

The name of the off-duty CHP officer who assisted in the rescue was not available. Once the dog was freed from beneath the vehicle, the man retrieved his jack and went on his way, Erwin said.